Toxins in Cambridgeshire water supply- Lib Dems demand tougher action

Following on from revelations this week about Cambridge Water finding four times the regulatory limit of toxic chemical perfluorooctane sulphonate (PFOS) South Cambridgeshire water supplies, it is reassuring to know that Cambridge Water has taken this particular supply out of action and that, according to Cambridge Water, the monitoring and testing shows that the water arriving in people’s taps was safe. However, the whole episode raises many questions.

Liberal Democrat MP, Daisy Cooper, Spokesperson for Health, has submitted three questions to Rebecca Pow, Minister for Environment:

1) To ask the Secretary of State (SOS) for the Department of Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra) on what date he or his department first knew about high levels of toxic chemicals found in the Cambridgeshire water supply.

2) To ask the SOS) for Defra whether they or his department were informed by Cambridge Water of its intention to blend contaminated water with water from other sources before it reached households in June 2021.

3) To ask the SOS for Defra on what dates the Minister has met with the Drinking Water Inspectorate to discuss the high levels of toxins found in the Cambridgeshire Water Supply.

In the meantime, the Cambridgeshire Director of Public Health has contacted the Health Security Agency to get reassurances about health implications and the Liberal Democrat leader of the Country Council has also written a letter to the Minister for Environment posing a series of questions. These include a question to Cambridge Water as to its duty to keep residents informed even about what they see as “near misses” as well as actual incidents; and a question to Defra about current guidance on toxic chemicals- does Defra consider the current guidance to water companies on PFAS to be sufficient, and is there sufficient understanding of the problem of PFAS entering our drinking water supplies or is Defra planning further research and updated guidance/regulation?

I will continue to follow this issue extremely closely and to stand up for local residents to protect Cambridge waterways from pollution and to ensure their drinking water is safe.